Luxury Cruise Ship

"What were the coordinates of the island that held the Stone Tablet?" Ling Chu asked Titch.

She wasn't particularly interested in the immortal Tree of Luga, but she was interested in the treasures of the Elf race.

Besides, she wasn't afraid of trouble. If the island wasn't too far away, she could pick it up along the way.

Titch gave her a set of coordinates. Ling Chu compared them with her current location and immediately lost interest.

At her current Level 3 Ship's speed, it would take half a year to reach the island even at full speed.

"Captain, are you interested in that Stone Tablet too?" Titch asked.

Ling Chu neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Other than Hemlock and me, Philip knew about it too. When I first went out to sea as a pirate, I only had the two of them as crewmen. Philip was rather indecisive. There was no skeleton of his in that pit, so he may have joined Lucas. That Stone Tablet may already have been taken by Lucas..."

Titch voiced his speculation. If Philip had refused to talk even at the cost of his life, Lucas couldn't have so decisively chopped off Hemlock's head. He would definitely have tied them both up and interrogated them slowly.

Ling Chu thought his guess made sense. They had been dead for over a year, and if Lucas had known the coordinates of the Stone Tablet, he would have taken it long ago.

"I'll keep an eye out for Lucas. If I find him, I'll definitely help you get your revenge."

Ling Chu said this not only because she wanted the Stone Tablet, but also because she sincerely wanted to help these henchmen avenge themselves. She was very protective of her own people.

She just didn't know how strong Lucas was. Still, there was no harm in making a bold promise first, right?

Killing Lucas to avenge their fallen selves was practically the wish of every Skeleton Henchman. Hearing this, they were so moved that Ghost Fire flickered in each of their eye sockets.

Hemlock was especially furious. "When we find that Lucas, I'll chop off his dog's head with my own hands!"

"Mate, have you forgotten that you don't have a body and can't hold a sword? I can do it for you," Titch said with a grin.

"I may not have a body, but I can fly! Can you? You're nothing but a skeleton. Even if you fell into the sea, the sharks wouldn't want to eat you!"

"Oh, ho, ho, ho! I can swim even if I fall into the sea, unlike you, mate. You can't even go out under the sun~"

Hemlock feared sunlight and could only stay in the shadows of the ship's cabin. Hearing this, he became even more enraged and stomped about.

One skeleton and one ghost traded insults and bickered. Ling Chu knew they had a good relationship, so she couldn't be bothered to interfere.

Amid the Skeleton Henchmen's noisy chatter, Ling Chu faced the training dummy on the deck, took out her Oak Longbow, and began practicing archery. She practiced from noon until evening, stopping only when her arms had become too sore to lift.

After several hours of practice, Ling Chu's aim had improved slightly. But she still felt that she hadn't grasped the techniques and essence of archery. Unfortunately, none of her Skeleton Henchmen knew how to shoot, so no one could teach her.

That night, Ling Chu sprawled out on the brand-new double bed and felt her whole body relax.

She practically slept until dawn.

This was the best sleep she had gotten since entering the survival game. As expected, a good bed led to better sleep.

Although her arms were still slightly sore and numb, she felt refreshed.

After the ship was upgraded, the deck was more than five or six times larger. Ling Chu took out the Bird's Nest, which previously had nowhere to go.

The three Planting Pots still sat in their old positions. Titch had originally been responsible for watering them every day, but after they gained more henchmen, he had assigned the task to someone else.

Which henchmen were responsible for carrying and adding Charcoal, and which were responsible for collecting the items from the fishing nets and fishing platforms—all of it was arranged by him.

Ling Chu simply appointed Titch as first mate. Whenever she was busy, she would have him manage the Skeleton Henchmen.

The Ghost Thorn Seed showed that it had two days and eighteen hours until maturity. The Cherry Tree and Banana Tree still needed eleven days to mature.

Ling Chu found the speed too slow, so she casually searched the Trading Post. Sure enough, there were players with the Farmer profession selling Fertilizer, and the listed price was cheap. She bought ten bags at once and used the Fertilizer on the three saplings.

The maturation time immediately shortened considerably. The Ghost Thorn showed one day and twenty hours remaining, while the Cherry Tree and Banana Tree each needed eight days.

Mickey Meow Witch also sent over the leather armor and small bag she had ordered right on schedule.

[Giant Lizard Leather Armor Set]

[Quality: Rare]

[Heat-resistant, sturdy, and durable leather armor. Wearing the complete set grants +50% resistance to fire-type skills, +2 Agility, and +1 Constitution. Due to its somewhat ugly appearance, Charisma -1]

[Portable Leather Bag]

[Quality: Common]

[Contains 10 Personal Space slots, with a stacking limit of 99]

"Big shot, try it on and see if you're satisfied. If any of the measurements don't fit, send it back and I'll alter it."

The complete leather armor consisted of armor, bracers, and greaves. Ling Chu tried it on. It fit closely and felt comfortable, especially with the +2 Agility bonus, which made her movements feel much lighter.

As for the small Charisma penalty, Ling Chu didn't care in the slightest. She was a pragmatist. As long as the stats were good, who cared whether it looked nice?

"I'm very satisfied. Sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all. It's only right—I did charge a crafting fee, after all. If you need any more clothes made in the future, just come to me. I'll give you a discount~"

Mickey Meow Witch was extremely enthusiastic.

"Okay."

As Ling Chu answered, she felt a little puzzled. She remembered that Mickey Meow Witch had seemed somewhat socially anxious at first.

She had no idea how much the two weapons she had given Mickey Meow Witch had helped her.

Ling Chu put the Portable Leather Bag into the ship's storage and planned to give it to the Skeleton Henchmen to carry when needed.

She was just about to put on the new leather armor and practice archery some more when she suddenly saw the Skeleton Henchman responsible for scouting scramble down from the Lookout Tower and charge straight toward her.

"Report, Captain! A large ship is approaching us from the seventeen-o'clock direction!"

Ling Chu frowned. Had she really run into other people?

She took the Telescope from Flat Head and personally climbed up the Lookout Tower to inspect the area.

Looking out, she saw that there really was a distinct, ship-shaped black speck rapidly approaching them across the endless sea.

Ling Chu immediately returned to the ship and ordered the henchmen to ready their weapons and enter a state of alert. The curved-blade weapons ordered from Little Luban were not finished yet, so only two or three of the henchmen had weapons.

Their imposing force was limited.

That ship was clearly traveling much faster than hers. Before long, Ling Chu could see its outline with the naked eye.

It was a Five-Story Luxury Cruise Ship.

Ling Chu instead breathed a sigh of relief. Players couldn't possibly own a ship of this scale at present.

But she remained vigilant. Who knew whether the ship would attack simply because hers was a pirate ship? To be safe, she first had the henchmen lower the sails.

Since the other party wasn't a player and their ship was so large, there had to be plenty of people aboard. She didn't want to offend them. Passing by peacefully would be best.

Yet the other ship kept drawing closer and closer. When it reached the front of her ship, it actually came to a stop.

Even in the daytime, the five-story ship's cabins were brightly lit. Ling Chu could clearly see at least five Hidden Cannons along the side of the hull. If they wanted to, they could fire a single barrage and blast her ship straight into the sky.

A man dressed as a steward stood on the opposite deck. He wore a crisp suit and a bow tie.

When he saw Ling Chu, he gave her a polished smile, removed the top hat from his head with one hand, and performed a gentlemanly hat-tip.

"Beautiful young lady, meeting you on this vast ocean must be fate. Would you be interested in boarding our ship for a gamble you'll remember for the rest of your life?"